Helping Americans with Pocketbook, May Succeed Where Green Talk Failed

It's ironic. I manage a green blogging community. I give to green causes. My friends ask me for advice about green living. I 'tweet' nonstop about green matters. My Linkedin profile says I am a green expert. I am courted by green social networks. I go straight for the green videos on YouTube. And I was just invited to blog here at Huffington Post Green. To the outside world, I am as green as can be. So why is it, that I am getting more and more turned off by the g-word? The real truth is I can't quite live up to the green challenge. Too many should's and shouldn'ts, and didnt's. And more work than I can handle, on top of my daily responsibilities as a mom, a wife, a worker, and a friend. I am no green saint, only human. For now the green mantra is still mostly in my head, and has yet to translate into consistent actions.

If you want me to live a green life, you've got to approach me differently. Take 'green', whatever that means, and break it down into smaller pieces that I can understand and chew on. Then, talk to me, and ask me how I feel, and what's on my mind. And connect the two, starting from my point of view, not the other way around. Rising food and gas prices, making monthly mortgage payments, keeping my health insurance, having a reliable source of income, doing with less, these are the things I worry about the most. And I only have so much space in my brain, for worries.

Recent polls lead me to believe that I am speaking for the majority of Americans. According to a Gallup Survey, only 28% Americans claim to have made "major changes" in their lifestyles to protect the environment. The reality is probably even less, as people tend to overestimate their behaviors. Another Gallup Survey gets into the reasons for such a lack of enthusiasm. Ahead of environmental concerns (40%), are other more pressing worries, similar to my owns: the economy (60%), healthcare (58%), crime and violence (49%), and energy (47%). We are currently way down at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, where basic needs for food, shelter, and security of employment, resources, and health are being threatened. Lots of pain there.

This represents a unique opportunity for the environmental cause. People are most amenable to change during times of crisis. Ask any psychotherapist. Rather than pushing a direct green agenda, a more effective approach is to grab people where they are hurting the most, at the pocketbook. Following Steve Bishop's lead, let us engage citizens around ways that they can save money, some of which may also be good for the environment. Finding the cheapest places for gas, biking and walking more, planting a vegetable garden, clipping coupons, telecommuting, going easy on the meat, unplugging appliances, . . . Not even mentioning green. You get the idea.

Comments

[Jayma19]

Marguerite:
Yes, the silver lining in the failure of the G. Bush government's foreign policy is that finally the US is waking up to something closer to the true cost of oil and energy. Not really what George and/or Mr. Cheney had in mind.
This economic recession is a true opportunity for change.
Great to see you on the Huffington Post.
How do you find the time to write all this?

:)

Jacques

[Marguerite Manteau-Rao - Huffpost Blogger]

Nadine, glad your voice is joining here. I am very touched. You too are a vehicle, and a most powerful one, thanks to this unique gift you have with words. There are not enough poets like you, to sing the beauty of nature, and the quiet tragedy that's taking place all over.

[nadinesellers]

So glad to read you where it will be most helpful to a larger segment of society.
You have been a steadfast inspiration, so i am looking forward to following this venue.
As clear sources of information congeal into usable medium, more and more people will access what we now call green.
The economy will show the way, the ecology will benefit, the change will be rapid, and i see you as a vehicle toward awareness.

[Marguerite Manteau-Rao - Huffpost Blogger]

Curtis, what will help is the rising prices and the need for people to consider new money saving strategies, many of which are aligned with sustainability concerns. This started to happen when gas prices reached $4, and it is still going on with food.

Franke, in your case you acted out of your green conscience. The savings were a welcome fallout. For most, it will be the other way around, starting with economic necessity, and incidentally engaging into greener behaviors.

[FrankeJames]

Congrats Marguerite! Huffington Post was very smart to get you writing for them.

I agree that the best way to capture people's interest is through their pocketbooks. We've found that going 'greener' has saved us a lot of money, is great fun and is helping us to be more fit. Why didn't we do it years ago? Let's sell the benefits and get more people hooked!

Franke

[curtisabbott]

Thoughtful and thought-provoking. Seems to me one of the enduring issues around this is that most environment problems have to do with long term behavior and planning, which are very tricky to tie to the kinds of short term, pocketbook issues you are talking about. But in the absence of a benevolent & environmentally enlightened dictator, we should, indeed we must...

[Marguerite Manteau-Rao - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks Mike, Thanks Edouard. I trust that you will do your share to imagine new solutions. :)

[wheeties]

Congratulations on the new column, Marguerite!
I agree that the "g-word" is getting old, which is particularly dangerous since these problems are just starting to get addressed. Thanks for the great post,

Mike

[Edouard]

Congratulations Marguerite on your fantastic article.

I too feel a bit tired a "green" stuff and believe we have to show the majority of people how preserving the environment ( and our common future ) can be done and will enable to save tremendous amounts of money.

Indeed, tips to save energy and water (and other resources) prove to be good for our wallets and Nature...

I look forward to reading from you, both here and on your blog !